Holly? She Willoughby just great in the Jungle
Dermot’s verdict on new I’m a Celeb host X Factor Janice: My girl’s gone blind Please don’t let us be Misunderstood
Dermot with X Factor judges Robbie, Ayda, Louis and Simon X FACTOR star Janice Robinson has told how her teenage daughter went blind just days before her audition.
The US mum-of-two wowed the judges by singing Dreamer, the song that made her Number One with Livin’ Joy in 1994. But daughter Kura, 16, is battling a brain condition. Janice, 50, below, said: “Right after her surgery, Kura said, ‘Mommy please go do X Factor. No matter what happens you need to go’. I was crying. She’s handling it so well. Right now for me, Kura is the star in the family.” POP hopefuls Misunderstood have already had a taste of fame – after reaching the BGT semi-final.
But X Factor supremo Simon Cowell appeared not to recall the R&B pair from their stint on his other show as he praised them. This Morning star Holly, 37, will team up with Declan Donnelly, 42, in Oz in November while his regular partner Ant Mcpartlin, 42, recovers from drink and drug problems. And X Factor host Dermot – who knows them all well as colleagues at ITV – said: “I think Holly is a great booking. “It is the obvious choice but it’s also the best choice. I don’t think a guy should have got it because how do you replace Ant? Just by it being different it’s a good thing. “Holly brings her own dynamic and she’s a brilliant broadcaster. “She’s compassionate, intelligent and funny and will do a terrific job.” The X Factor returned this weekend with Simon Cowell, 58, joined by new judges – ex-take That star Robbie Williams, 44, his wife Ayda Field, 39, and One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson. Robbie is said to have had a €10million pay cheque. Dermot, 45, said: “I don’t know the ins and outs of the money, but as a person and as a judge, the gamble has paid off incredibly well. “He took to it like a duck to water.” He compared Robbie to a Real Madrid superstar, insisting: “He’s a Galactico. He’d come back from a break and Angels is playing and he’d get the mic and start singing – immediately 4,000 people are in a Robbie Williams concert. “It’s important we have more than one alpha personality. Robbie and Simon are alphas.” He added: “Ayda’s saying, ‘I’m the underdog and I’ve got to prove myself on this panel’. Those judges try twice as hard.” Of Louis, 26 – booted off in 2010 before being called back to join One Direction – he said: “He knows what it’s like to fail and that’s important.” Dermot hosts X Factor scoops@sundaymirror.co.uk Stephan Benson, 23, left, and Jeffrey Okyere, 24, were starring members of dance act Myztikal in 2010. After BGT, the London-based duo formed Misunderstood and have plugged a single and performed on TV in recent months.